Lloyd Suh

ABOUT

Member of the Ma-Yi Writers Lab since 2004.

LloydSuh is the author of Charles Francis Chan Jr’s Exotic Oriental Murder Mystery (NAATCO, forthcoming at the Guthrie Theatre with Mu Performing Arts, and at Princeton University), The Wong Kids in the Secret of the Space Chupacabra Go! (Children’s Theatre Company, Ma-Yi with La Mama, ArtsEmerson, Cultural Center of the Philippines), American Hwangap (Magic Theatre, Ma-Yi, Cultural Center of the Philippines, with PCPA in Seoul, Korea, and forthcoming at Halcyon Theatre in Chicago with A-Squared), Jesus in India (Magic, Ma-Yi), Great Wall Story (Denver Center), and others. He has received support from the NEA Arena Stage New Play Development program, the Andrew W. Mellon Launching New Plays Into the Repertoire initiative via the Lark, NYFA, NYSCA, Jerome Foundation, TCG and Dramatists Guild. His plays have been published by Samuel French, Playscripts, Smith & Kraus, Duke University Press and American Theater magazine. He is an alum of Youngblood and the Soho Rep Writer/Director Lab, and from 2005-2010 served as Artistic Director of Second Generation and Co-Director of the Ma-Yi Writers Lab. He currently serves on the Dramatists Guild Council and has since 2011 served as Director of Artistic Programs at The Lark.

Awards

New York Foundation of the Arts Fellowship 2004 for playwriting

New York Foundation of the Arts Fellowship 2016 for playwriting

New York State Council on the Arts Individual Artist grant 2005 for American Hwangap

Off-Broadway Alliance Award for Best Family Show 2014 for The Wong Kids…

2014 American Alliance for Theatre & Education Distinguished Play Award for The Wong Kids…

non Ma-Yi productions of Lab developed work:

Jesus in India – Magic

Great Wall Story - Denver Center

American Hwangap- Magic, CCP?, PCPA in Seoul, Halcyon/A-Squared

CONTACT

PLAYS

AMERICAN HWANGAP

Full-length Comic Drama
3M 2W

Steeped in the difficulty of reunification and reconciliation, American Hwangap tells the story of Min Suk Chun, who some 15 years earlier left his family in a West Texas suburb to return to his native Korea. On the occasion of his 60th birthday (hwangap), a milestone signifying the completion of the Eastern Zodiac and a type of rebirth, he returns to his ex-wife and now adult children as they struggle to reconcile their broken past with the mercurial, verbose and often exasperating patriarch now back at the head of the table. Through a tense birthday weekend filled with humor, heartbreak and half-filled expectations, this American hwangap and its aftermath bears a family not quite whole but still somehow transformed, and not quite happy but still somehow beautiful.

“Terrific… reminds us that we often have to live into questions before answers begin to surface… Suh’s convincing, compelling writing exposes these familial relationships with grace, poignancy, and bursts of humor” –CurtainUp

Press:
“Exuberantly imaginative adventure for children… embeds its messages in fun, and its insistence on being extraordinary proves the upside of standing out” – The New York Times (Critic’s Pick)

“The title is just as weird as the show, but it doesn’t even come close to giving you an idea of how much fun is in store… Suh’s script sparkles with humor and wit… It’s likely one of the best shows currently running in New York for young theatergoers.” – Theatermania

“It’s message resonates and its storytelling techniques are unique… filled with twists, pranks and thoughtful commentary. While the play is directed at children, it speaks to adults as well” – Maxamoo

“Four stars. A geektastic sci-fi comedy… completely family-friendly,, but any grown-up who still reads comics should be psyched to go on this inventive theatrical adventure” – Time Out NY (Critic’s Pick)

“A must see… filled with imagination, spontaneity, comedy and heart, it is both moving and hilarious. Mulit-layered, it is geared towards children and adults.” – Times Square Chronicles

“Best Show of the 2013 Season! A delicious sci-fi spoof… Suh has crafted a gem of a script… one of the funniest, most enjoyable productions I’ve experienced on a Twin Cities stage this year… a children’s theater show to which you really don’t have to bring a child, partially because it does such a great job of helping you get back in touch with the kid inside yourself.” – St. Paul Pioneer Press

“Wacky, exciting and totally awesome… non-stop fun for audiences of all ages… Go on your own, take a date, bring the kids if you’ve got ‘em, it doesn’t matter: if you’ve got a spark of imagination and a continued appreciation for space monsters, this is a zany, playful intergalactic adventure for all” – Aisle Say Twin Cities

“One of the most low-tech yet elegantly creative pieces on a Twin Cities stage… These “Wong Kids” have got the right stuff” – Minneapolis Star-Tribune

JESUS IN INDIA

Full-length Comic Drama
3M 2W

Teenaged and wayward, Jesus of Nazareth journeys to the East with his friend, Abigail of Galilee, toward a spiritual haven full of Maharajas, punk rock, and some really good weed. A contemporary parable about the world’s most famous rebel before he found his cause.

GREAT WALL STORY

Full-length Comic Drama
6-10M 1W

Denver, 1899. Three local news reporters collude in fabricating a feature story detailing the imminent destruction of the Great Wall of China, with repercussions both global and personal. Based on a true story.